The Season 1 finale of Tell Me Lies came with plenty of twists and turns, one of which was Stephen's engagement in the present timeline.
Tell Me Lies is based on Carola Lovering's novel of the same name and depicts the relationship between college freshman Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and junior Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) over the course of eight years.
The Hulu series jumps back in forth between flashbacks to the duo's college years in 2008 and their reunion years later in 2015 at an engagement party of mutual friends.
Stephen's Surprise Engagement Explained
The present timeline of Tell Me Lies makes it clear that Lucy and Stephen are no longer together after their college romance, nor are they on good terms.
In the Season 1 finale of the series, Stephen arrived with a surprise announcement - that he is engaged to Lucy's childhood friend Lydia (Natalee Linez).
This reveal came off the heels of Lucy and Stephen's break-up in the past timeline, which saw Stephen rekindle things with his ex, Diana. Whether this is their only break-up over the eight years between timelines remains to be seen.
Lydia was seen sparingly in Season 1 of Tell Me Lies, but it was established she and Lucy were close friends, and that she actually disapproved of Lucy's relationship with Stephen - which is surprising considering she ends up being engaged to him years later.
It's unclear what happens to sour Lydia and Lucy's friendship, and what leads to her romance with Stephen, but this will no doubt form a large part of the episodes moving forward.
When it came to the reveal of Stephen's new fiancée, it's been questioned whether Stephen truly loves Lydia or if the relationship is borne purely out of his desire for revenge on his ex. Jackson White told Decider he thinks "it's probably both:"
“Gosh, it’s hard to say. I think he genuinely finds something he loves or admires in the people he’s dating, but there’s like this certain layer — maybe that’s even part of the manipulation, is he’s manipulating himself. He’s so deep, man. He’s so messed up. So I feel like, it’s probably both.”
What Is Stephen Scheming In Season 2 of Tell Me Lies?
As the actor himself admitted, Stephen DeMarco is a manipulator. The character is constantly influencing those around him to get what he wants - even avoiding the murder of his classmate Macy - and that doesn't seem to have changed in the years leading up to the present timeline.
In Season 2 it's established that Lucy herself has a new relationship with a character named Max in the present timeline, and has seemingly moved on from Stephen. Although Stephen's actions towards Lucy at events in the 2015 timeline seem to indicate he is not done toying with her.
This is reflected in the 2008 timeline of Season 2 of Tell Me Lies, where Stephen has been at work playing Lucy and Diana off each other.
The truth about Macy also continuously threatens to catch up with him, which causes Stephen to manipulate those around him even more to save his own skin.
Lydia, meanwhile, has continued her vitriol against Stephen in the 2008 timeline, which gives no indication of how the couple ended up engaged in 2015. However, it is revealed that Stephen is attempting to drive a wedge between Lydia and Lucy, which may explain why the duo are no longer friends in the present.
Tell Me Lies Season 2 releases weekly on Hulu on Wednesdays.
